[Closed] FrameMaker 7.x/8 Feature Requests

Assuming Adobe is coming out with a MacOS X native version, I would like to see it have full support for multi-threading. I would like to be able to generate/update a book while simultaneously editing another FM file. Or generate/update multiple books simultaneously, while browsing the web, downloading a movie trailer, riding a stationary bicycle, and chewing gum at the same time.

Convert the FM drawing tools into an embedded version of SVG Draw. Allow the structured version of FM to see the SVG markup in structure view whenever the drawing is selected. Allow objects within embedded SVG graphics to be hyperlinked/xref'd to elements in the body of the document (would be great for flowcharts that refer to specific sections in a document)

Paragraph Designer: Add another field for Last indent. This would enable you to set the right indent of the last line of a paragraph differently from the right indent of the preceding lines. This would solve the problem of tab leaders in TOCs that run into page numbers or page numbers flushing left immediately after a line break.

Adobe should stop relying on Documentum, SiberLogic, Lightspeed Astoria, and XyEnterprise Contenta to provide CMS capabilities. Turn FrameMaker Server into FrameMaker XML Server, and put the various XML repository vendors out of the FrameMaker integration business, which they currently do so poorly. This would be a full-featured, Web-DAV enabled XML repository that uses FrameMaker as its client interface. It would use XML as its stored file format, but move back and forth between XML, MIF, and FM binary so seamlessly that end users would not be able to tell it was happening. Cross-doc xrefs would be fully preserved. Version histories kept. Workflow support. Book and file level save to XML that preserves external links. Even WebWorks AutoMap Server could be plugged in as an HTML/online help engine.

Print the Structure View.

Be able to copy & paste the structure tree from the Structure View as graphic objects.

Define user variables in EDD.

Create unique numbers for attributes, similiar to what the cross reference and ID does. Basically need a random and unique number created when the element is created.

The unformated raw value of the date and time.

Ability to paste a special character (symbol, WingDing, etc.) in the autonumber box and have that font maintained. Example - square bullet with an auto-number or checked checkbox with the autonumber using a default character tag.

Frame Beside Paragraph like the Frame Above or Below Paragraph to include a reference frame.

Change the length of the Cross Reference ID value.

I suggest that *all* FrameMaker dialog boxes close with the same key or keys. Some dialog boxes can be closed by simply pressing ESC (best); other dialog boxes require ALT-F4.

Because I'm a keystroke kinda' guy, I occasionally key open the wrong dialog box. It would be *soooo* nice to just be able to press ESC when this happens...

>I should be nice to be able to turn on or off the true type fonts just like in corel ventura

?

If you don't want them, don't include them in your styles.

Cheers,

Sean

I should be nice to be able to turn on or off the true type fonts just like in corel ventura.

And I think it's about time to have multiple undo!!!!!!

I think more user-defined variables would be useful in FM, and it'd be cool to associate them to a control at the book level as-needed. Custom variables in addition to <$volnum> and <$chapnum> would be very cool... or at least the ability to assign a "tag" to variables to you can use them in xrefs and such...

I would like a "book name" or "volume name" building block/system variable that can be used in cross references. For example, a cross reference format might look like this:

See "<$paratext>" on page <$pagenum> in <$bookname>

Volume numbers are meaningless in this case.